Global Dilemma Research Articles

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Suspected Patients Referred to the Health Centers of Abarkouh, Ardakan, Bafgh and Khatam, Yazd Province, Iran

Background and Aims: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a significant health problem in many parts of Iran. Management of the disease and its treatment is a global dilemma. In this study, the status and the proportions of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis induced by Leishmania major and tropica among suspected patients referred to the Health Centers of Abarkouh, Ardakan, Bafgh, and Khatam cities, Yazd Province, Iran were investigated. Materials and Methods: The lesion was diagnosed using direct smear microscopy and conventional polymerase chain reaction. Results: A total of 90 samples were prepared of which 64 (71.1%) were male and 26 (27.9%) were female. Also, 30 (33.3%) samples came from Ardakan, 29 (32.2%) samples from Bafgh, 21 (23.3%) samples from Abarkouh, and 10 (11.1%) samples from Khatam city. Ninety samples with 112 lesions were recruited and parasitologically examined. The results showed that, in macroscopic examination, 90 of the patients had 59 lesions: patients with lesion(s) induced by Leishmania major = 52 (M=35, 67.3%, F=17, 32.7%), lesion(s) induced by Leishmania tropica =4 (M=2, 50.0%, F=2, 50.0%), and lesion(s) induced by false positive =33 (36.4%). Basides, in microscopic method, 90 of the patients had 59 lesions: patients with lesion(s) induced by Leishmania major =44 (M=29, 65.9%, F=15, 34.09%), lesion(s) induced by Leishmania tropica =9 (M=8, 88.8%, F=1, 11.2%), and lesion(s) induced by false positive =37 (M=28, 75.7%, F=9, 24.3%). Conclusion: Although travel history to an endemic area is important for diagnosis, parasitological confirmation is necessary to initiate treatment.

Beyond technical measures: a value-focused thinking appraisal of strategic drivers in improving information security policy compliance

ABSTRACT The evolving sophistication of threats and the impact of security breaches have caused managers to continually grapple with strategies to reduce these risks. One common security control is the adoption of information security policies (ISPs) geared at improving employees’ compliance behaviour. However, there is mounting empirical evidence that shows that ISP compliance is a challenging undertaking with less than satisfactory outcomes. Further, little attention is placed on developing economies in the study of this phenomenon. This research adopts a values-based methodology to determine fundamental and means objectives in maximising employees’ compliance with ISPs in a developing economy context. The research identifies 30 objectives and demonstrates that risk mitigation, people, technical and organisational factors are essential to improving compliance. The results contribute objectives, contextualised to the people for whom the results are relevant, thus promoting deeper understanding. The research offers utility to managers in the design and implementation of InfoSec strategies and policies. The findings can also inform investment decisions regarding compliance tools, methods and technologies. Recognising that security (information and cyber) threats are a global dilemma, we contend that investigating forms of security risks and potential solutions can mitigate the social and economic costs of security incidents.

A reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approach for designing a multiepitope vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

Since 2019, the world was involved with SARS-CoV-2 and consequently, with the announcement by the World Health Organization that COVID-19 was a pandemic, scientific were an effort to obtain the best approach to combat this global dilemma. The best way to prevent the pandemic from spreading further is to use a vaccine against COVID-19. Here, we report the design of a recombinant multi-epitope vaccine against the four proteins spike or crown (S), membrane (M), nucleocapsid (N), and envelope (E) of SARS-CoV-2 using immunoinformatics tools. We evaluated the most antigenic epitopes that bind to HLA class 1 subtypes, along with HLA class 2, as well as B cell epitopes. Beta-defensin 3 and PADRE sequence were used as adjuvants in the structure of the vaccine. KK, GPGPG, and AAY linkers were used to fuse the selected epitopes. The nucleotide sequence was cloned into pET26b(+) vector using restriction enzymes XhoI and NdeI, and HisTag sequence was considered in the C-terminal of the construct. The results showed that the proposed candidate vaccine is a 70.87 kDa protein with high antigenicity and immunogenicity as well as non-allergenic and non-toxic. A total of 95% of the selected epitopes have conservancy with similar sequences. Molecular docking showed a strong binding between the vaccine structure and tool-like receptor (TLR) 7/8. The docking, molecular dynamics, and MM/PBSA analysis showed that the vaccine established a stable interaction with both structures of TLR7 and TLR8. Simulation of immune stimulation by this vaccine showed that it evokes immune responses related to humoral and cellular immunity.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00251-021-01228-3.

Application of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for the Prediction of Spam Mail

Spam mail has indeed become a global dilemma due to its coevolutionary nature. It has resulted in the loss of organizational resources, possibly financial cost incurred as well as time spent in addressing spam related issues. This has pushed organizations and researchers to the pinnacle of research with the aim of identifying needed solutions. This research paper explores the rich capabilities of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for predicting spam mail taking cognizant natural language capabilities. Spam mail prediction was simulated using a simulator built utilizing python programming language to capture the fundamentals of CNN. The CNN training was actualized using 10 epochs. The 1st epoch offers a training time of 4mins, 39s with a loss of 1.7578, accuracy of 0.3508, value loss of 1.2130 and value accuracy 0f 0.5719 while the 10th epoch presents a training time of 4mins, 6s with a loss of 0.5896, accuracy of 0.7936, value loss of 0.8941 and value accuracy of 0.6986.

Biologically Plant-Based Pigments in Sustainable Innovations for Functional Textiles – The Role of Bioactive Plant Phytochemicals

The fossil-based emissions and effluents from the textile wet processing units have acute implications on the environment and human wellbeing. Therefore, a paradigm shift towards sustainable alternative materials and technology has become imperative. Thus, the overview herein emphasizes the sustainable chemistry that ubiquitously exists to propel ecological textile processing with herbal biomaterials. The review paper succinctly accentuates the efficient qualities of bioactive plant pigments for functional textiles. The paper also outlines the sustainable method of processing with plant phytochemicals. The eco-friendly herbal materials as an excellent example of Biomimicry is presented. Likewise, the multi-disciplinary research approach is discussed herein to refute global dilemmas and impel holistic ecological outcomes. The circular materials for the circular economy are detailed.

Place attachment and youth entrepreneurship community participation in Guangfu Village, Taichung, Taiwan

Amid the global dilemma of youth unemployment, youth entrepreneurship has had an important impact on social, cultural and economic progress, and various countries have actively promoted relevant frameworks and strategies. Taiwan has many cultural assets whose original functions are no longer preserved. Fortunately, the public sector has thought a variety of redevelopment strategies to promote sustainable development, and new functions and usage patterns for these sites have emerged. However, there is a lack of research investigating the links between youth entrepreneurship, community participation and place attachment in local-development projects: a gap that this paper intends to fill. Against the backdrop of one such project, this study discusses the interrelationships of youth entrepreneurship, community participation, place dependence and place identity. Its results indicate that the different personal backgrounds of young entrepreneurs had little or no bearing on the extent of their community participation, place dependence or place identity. However, such community participation had a moderately positive correlation with place dependence and place identity, leading the authors to conclude that the participation of a community of young entrepreneurs brings new opportunities for local development that transcend the mere reduction of youth unemployment. That is, in addition to maintaining and preserving historic spaces, it boosts both sustainable development and diversity in the broader local community. They also calls for future research to assess whether community participation influences place attachment in other parts of the world.

From ‘Why Americans Hate Politics’ to analyze the Dilemma of Globalization

Globalization, the world's most dominant trend in recent decades, seems to be in serious trouble at the moment. Firstly, the United States, the globalization leader, is in chaos in its domestic situation after 2016. Secondly, along with the decline in global trade, there are signs of anti-globalization in different world regions. What has gone wrong with globalization? This article starts from Why Americans hate politics and related materials to analyze the domestic phenomenon in the United States as an entry point to study the problems of globalization: analyzing the apparent contradictions between Democrats and Republicans, radicals and conservatives, and finally suggesting that the essence of the current issues of both the United States and globalization is due to the conflict between the industrial economy and the financial economy caused by technological development.

Health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in common cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) emphasis on environmental pollution

Heavy metal accumulation and contamination is a global serious dilemma due to toxicity, abiotic characteristics, abundant resources, and cumulative behavior of heavy metals. This evaluation aimed at measuring and evaluating seven heavy metals (Ni, Cu, As, Zn, Pb, Cr, and Cd) content in rice (Oryza sativa) and associated health risks was carried out for consumers in Khuzestan Province, Iran. We choose 20 stations in 5 strategic regions of rice cultivation. The average carcinogenic risk of arsenic by rice consumption in Khuzestan Province was estimated to be 3 adults and 4 children per 10,000 populations. The average concentrations of heavy metals in rice and rice field soils were as follows: In rice: Ni (0.38 ± 0.25), Cu (5.29 ± 3.04), As (0.087 ± 0.066), Zn (17.89 ± 3.35), Pb (0.17 ± 0.08), Cr (0.69 ± 0.25) and Cd (0.058 ± 0.027) mg kg-1.In soils: Ni (49.32 ± 16.71), Cu (36.69 ± 19.74), As (5.02 ± 3.42), Zn (71.20 ± 12.72), Pb (10.99 ± 4.299), Cr (81.23 ± 22.31), and Cd (0.18 ± 0.072) mg kg-1, respectively. Nickel showed the highest standard deviation of the SPI with an average of 2.38 ± 0.81. The average CPI for rice was in the following descending order: Cd (0.95 ± 0.45)> Ni (0.92 ± 0.64)> Pb (0.84 ± 0.41)> Cr (0.69 ± 0.25)> As (0.65 ± 0.52)> Cu (0.53 ± 0.31)> Zn (0.36 ± 0.068). Cadmium and nickel respectively showed the highest and lowest BAF with an average of 0.302 and 0.0067. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) classification, the overall HI for adults in four regions was at Level 3 (medium) and for children in two regions at Level 4 (high). The corresponding values for cadmium were 5 adults and 8 children per 100,000 populations. This means that rice consumption in Khuzestan Province could cause cancer during the lifetime of rice consumers.

COVID-19 Interconnectedness: Health Inequity, the Climate Crisis, and Collective Trauma.

The COVID‐19 pandemic brings to the forefront the complex interconnected dilemmas of globalization, health equity, economic security, environmental justice, and collective trauma, severely impacting the marginalized and people of color in the United States. This lack of access to and the quality of healthcare, affordable housing, and lack of financial resources also continue to have a more significant impact on documented and undocumented immigrants. This paper aims at examining these critical issues and developing a framework for family therapists to address these challenges by focusing on four interrelated dimensions: cultural values, social determinants of health, collective trauma, and the ethical and moral responsibility of family therapists. Given the fact that family therapists may unwittingly function as the best ally of an economic and political system that perpetuates institutionalized racism and class discrimination, we need to utilize a set of principles, values, and practices that are not just palliative or after the fact but bring forth into the psychotherapeutic and policy work a politics of care. Therefore, a strong call to promote and advocate for the broader continuum of health and critical thinking preparing professionals to meet the challenges of health equity, as well as economic and environmental justice, is needed. The issues discussed in this paper are specific to the United States despite their relevance to family therapy as a field. We are mindful not to generalize the United States' reality to the rest of the world, recognizing that issues discussed in this paper could potentially contribute to international discourse.

الدور الوظيفي الغامض للغدة الثايموسية في مجابهة كل من كوفيد- 19 وسارس كوف- 2- مراجعة أدبية

الخلفية والأهداف: بات مرض فيروس كورونا 2019 (كوفيد- 19) يشكل تهديدًا متصاعدًا على جميع الأصعدة المختلفة وذلك نظرًا لسرعة انتشاره حول العالم. على الرغم من تسجيل حالات إصابة بالعدوى في جميع الفئات العمرية إلا أنه تم ملاحظة ارتفاع في نسبة احتمالية ظهور الأعراض الانتهازية لدى الفيروس عند البالغين وكبار السن دون الأطفال. لذلك هذه المراجعة الأدبية الموجزة وجِدت لتقديم صورة أوسع حول تفسير سلوك فيروس كورونا المرتبط بالمتلازمة التنفسية الحادة الشديدة النوع 2 (سارس كوف- 2) العدائي وتَحَيُّزه لفئات عمرية محددة دون الأخرى وكذلك لإبراز الدور الفعّال للغدة الثايموسية في مجابهة عدوى كوفيد- 19 عند الأطفال و الذي قد يهمِّشه بشكل غير مقصود العاملون في المجال الصحي، بل أيضاً لمناقشة إِمكانيّة استخدام الثيموسين آلفا- 1 كداعم رئيسي في مجابهة كوفيد- 19. الطرق والوسائل: مراجعة للأدبيات والدراسات المنشورة مؤخرًا والمتعلقة بكوفيد – 19 وفيروس سارس كوف- 2 بواسطة كل من محركات البحث العلمية ببمد وميدلاين والباحث العلمي من جوجل. النتائج: أظهرت النتيجة الرئيســـية لهذه المراجـعة احتمالًا منخفضًا للإصـابة بعدوى سارس كوف – 2 بالإضافة إلى انخفاض معدل التعرض للمضاعفات الانتهازية لـدى الأطـــــــفال مقـــــــارنةً بالبالغين وكبار السن وكذلك أيضا أشارت إلى أنَّ نتيجة الفحوصات المختبرية المتمثلة بقلة اللِّمفَاويَّات لم تكن شائعة لدى الأطفال بعكس كبار السن والبالغين. لذلك قد يشير هذا التباين في نسب معدلات الإصابة والنتائج المختبرية إلى الأهمية القصوى للغدة الثايموسية التي تعمل بكامل طاقتها الوظيفية في مكافحة عدوى سارس كوف- 2 عند الأطفال. الخلاصة والتوصيات: لا يزال مرض كوفيد- 19 يشكل معضلة عالمية تسبب دمارًا هائلاً في جميع جوانب الحياة الاجتماعية والاقتصادية. ونظرًا لعدم التوّصل إلى علاج فعّال في هذا الصدد، وبسبب السلوك العدواني المتحيز لسارس كوف- 2 بين الفئات العمرية المختلفة الذي تم ملاحظته من خلال هذه المراجعة الأدبية؛ فإن الحاجة إلى المزيد من البحوث والتجارب السريرية لدراسة فعالية الثيموسين آلفا- 1 تُشكّل أهمية قصوى من أجل فهم الدور المحتمل للغدة الثايموسية في الحماية من الإصابة بعدوى سارس كوف- 2 وتخفيف أعراض ومضاعفات كوفيد- 19.

An Ethics-based approach to Global Health Research Part 3: Emphasis on Partnership Funding.

Acquiring funding for global health research within pharmacy can be challenging, particularly for new investigators who may have a strong interest in resolving global dilemmas related to health. Moreover, there can be inherent imbalances and ethical issues when navigating the funding process for global partnerships. There exists a lack of literature providing ethical guidance for mitigating dilemmas that may arise. This commentary discusses current funding streams for investigators interested in global pharmacy research, as well as specific recommendations for the funding process. These recommendations include managing award funds, ethical considerations for funding research partnerships, and balancing power between low to middle income countries and high-income countries. Lastly, case examples of funding partnerships involving pharmacy are highlighted, emphasizing important lessons learned. This commentary addresses the critical need for providing global health researchers with both important considerations and experience-based recommendations for navigating global funding partnerships using an ethical approach.

An Algorithmic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Children: Iranian Expert’s Consensus Statement

: After the outbreak of 2019 novel corona virus infection in China, we have the outbreak of disease in Iran and until March 05, 2020 have been reported a total number of confirmed cases more than 3500 and approximately 3.3% deaths. The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection as a newly emerging disease in East Asia has caused a great challenge in managing the patients and controlling the disease especially in children. This algorithm is based on the standard diagnosis and treatment strategies for pediatric viral infections and available strategies to prevention of COVID-19 infection. It is hoped that with international co-operation, this global dilemma will end with the least burden of disease. Due to the lack of scientific evidences in children, this algorithm is essential for decision making.

Ranking environmental degradation trends of plastic marine debris based on physical properties and molecular structure

As plastic marine debris continues to accumulate in the oceans, many important questions surround this global dilemma. In particular, how many descriptors would be necessary to model the degradation behavior of ocean plastics or understand if degradation is possible? Here, we report a data-driven approach to elucidate degradation trends of plastic debris by linking abiotic and biotic degradation behavior in seawater with physical properties and molecular structures. The results reveal a hierarchy of predictors to quantify surface erosion as well as combinations of features, like glass transition temperature and hydrophobicity, to classify ocean plastics into fast, medium, and slow degradation categories. Furthermore, to account for weathering and environmental factors, two equations model the influence of seawater temperature and mechanical forces.

РОССИЯ И МУСУЛЬМАНСКИЙ МИР: К ПРОБЛЕМЕ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ КУЛЬТУРНО- ИНТЕГРАТИВНОГО ПОТЕНЦИАЛА РЕГИОНОВ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ ПОВОЛЖЬЯ)

The article analyzes the problem of finding ethno-confessional concord in the modern world. The problem follows from the dilemmas of mondialization and globalization, on the one hand, and the balanced functioning of society and regions, on the other. Today, the invasion of Islam into global geopolitical processes is drifting towards new horizons not only due to demographic challenges and an increase in the proportion of Muslims in the number of inhabitants of the globe. The Islamic world has a special position in relation to globalization. The article aims to determine the role of the cultural and integrative potential of confessions as a factor of sustainable development. It is important to take into account that modern globalization is extremely relevant to the imperative of interaction. Cultural globalization, being the process of constituting common value spaces of morality, art, communication, lifestyle, behavioral stereotypes, ambiguously perceived at different times, meets opposition from adherents of traditional religions, including Islam. The facts and processes of the history of cultural contacts in the Volga region in the Middle Ages and the New Time form the basis for the analysis. The author uses the methods from the arsenal of oriental science, ethnology and area studies. Racial, religious and national conflicts have not ceased to be a constant in the modern world. The relevance of the theme of mobilizing the potential of ethnic and religious harmony and interaction stems from the dilemmas of modernization and globalization, on the one hand, and the sustainable operation of society and regions, on the other. The research of historians, anthropologists, ethnologists on the topic of collective cultural identity, as well as diverse identities at the level of personal choice, form the basis of its design in post-Soviet Russia. Studying the complementarity potential, the adherence to the positive images of the other ethnic groups among the Volga Muslims as part of the Muslim world and at the same time part of Russia in the realities of globalization and the situation of religious challenges assumes combining the methodological tools and efforts of representatives of various humanities and involving Western issues in the discursive field. This is a prerequisite for an adequate analysis of Russian identity in the context of cultural and religious processes.

Externalization of Border Controls as a Violation of Human Rights of Irregular Migrant Children: A Global Dilemma

Various States have resorted to stringent border controls as irregular migrants sought to enter their territories within the past few years. These externalised border controls are sometimes, strictly enforced to the extent that irregular migrants—particularly vulnerable migrants such as unaccompanied minor children are arbitrarily detained in detention centres—the living 040conditions of which are in express violation of various international human rights treaties. This article examines the validity of these border controls which continue to negate the human rights of these irregular migrant children, and the role which the international community plays in upholding these established human rights The article discusses the extent to which these externalized border controls are enforced in Australia and across the European Union in law and in practice. The article concludes by proffering recommendations which facilitate a global harmonised governance system for irregular migrant children.

Structure Based Multitargeted Molecular Docking Analysis of Selected Furanocoumarins against Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the biggest global dilemmas and its current therapy is to target the hormone receptors by the use of partial agonists/antagonists. Potent drugs for breast cancer treatment are Tamoxifen, Trastuzumab, Paclitaxel, etc. which show adverse effects and resistance in patients. The aim of the study has been on certain phytochemicals which has potent actions on ERα, PR, EGFR and mTOR inhibition. The current study is performed by the use of molecular docking as protein-ligand interactions play a vital role in drug design. The 3D structures of ERα, PR, EGFR and mTOR were obtained from the protein data bank and docked with 23 3D PubChem structures of furanocoumarin compounds using FlexX. Drug-likeness property was checked by applying the Lipinski’s rule of five on the furanocoumarins to evaluate anti-breast cancer activity. Antagonist and inhibition assay of ERα, EGFR and mTOR respectively has been performed using appropriate in-vitro techniques. The results confirm that Xanthotoxol has the best docking score for breast cancer followed by Bergapten, Angelicin, Psoralen and Isoimperatorin. Further, the in-vitro results also validate the molecular docking analysis. This study suggests that the selected furanocoumarins can be further investigated and evaluated for breast cancer treatment and management strategies.

Brazilian Art and the Dilemma of Globalization: Strategies of Internationalization and Cultural Affirmation in Two 1990s Biennials

This paper will address specifically the 24th edition of the São Paulo Biennial (1998), which took up Oswald de Andrade’s concept of anthropophagy as a guiding axis, but it will also bring to light the first edition of the Mercosul Biennial, which was held in 1997 in the city of Porto Alegre, situated in the south of Brazil, with the intention of establishing itself as a space for promotion of Latin American art. Both biennials are private entities, supported by autonomous foundations, but which require public funds to carry out their shows. It is noteworthy that those two shows were held a few years after the third edition of the Havana Biennial, which is widely recognized as a landmark in the history of the biennials based on South–South dialogue. I will point out the connections between the proposals of these exhibitions as well as relate them to the Brazilian economic situation at the time and the dilemma of globalization.

Assessment of land suitability and agricultural production sustainability using a combined approach (Fuzzy-AHP-GIS): A case study of Mazandaran province, Iran

This research was conducted to evaluate the sustainability of rice production using fuzzy logic in Mazandaran province, Iran. The untapped use of modern agricultural technology, such as agricultural machinery, has become a global dilemma, which has forced governments and environmentalists to take a serious stand against the dangers of massive non-standard agricultural practices in the environment. Three types of mechanization, socioeconomic, and economic modeling were used to determine the sustainability and their values were collected through interview method using a 320-item questionnaire from 2016 to 2018. Land evaluation was carried out using soil and climate characteristics, so that about 27.4% of the area was in the perfectly suitable range (S1), 35.2% in the appropriate range (S2), 19.5% in the critical range (S3), and 17.9% in the inappropriate range (N) for rice cultivation. Farmers were selected from two regions (R1 and R2) by the GIS on two lower levels and more than one hectare (A1, A2) according to agricultural methods (mechanical and traditional). The results showed that the highest and lowest means of the product were 4314.44 and 3501.95 kg ha−1, respectively. The sustainability of production was within the range of “sustainability” and “almost sustainable” in terms of mechanistic and economic factors in the fuzzy range of “moderate sustainability” and also with respect to social factors that are in a better position than mechanistic and economic indicators. Results of final sustainability model showed that the average of the lasting sustainability index was in the range of “almost unsustainable” and “moderate sustainability”.

The New International Economic Order, Utopian Realism, and the Recovery of an Alternative Vision for Global Governance

Not so long ago, an alternative to American hegemony and progressive isolationism was elaborated by non-aligned segments of the international left. In the search for potentially usable models from the past, this paper will shed light on the New International Economic Order (NIEO). Promulgated as a United Nations resolution in 1974, and drafted by leaders in the Global South, the NIEO was one of the most widely discussed transnational governance reforms of the twentieth century. This paper will argue that the NIEO was an exercise in utopian realism that fundamentally depended on foregrounding the global security dilemma and defending the legitimacy and lasting utility nation-state. As a result of these commitments, the NIEO's proponents unwittingly self-limited their chances for long-term success on the international stage.

Global Gender Justice and Epistemic Oppression: A Response to an Epistemic Dilemma

Critiques of Western feminists’ attempts to extend claims about gender injustice to the global context highlighted a dilemma facing Western feminists, what I call the global gender justice dilemma. In response to this dilemma, Alison M. Jaggar argues that Western feminists should turn our attention away from trying to resolve it and, instead, toward examination of our own complicity in the processes that produce injustice. I suggest that this kind of approach is helpful in responding to an additional dilemma that confronts the Western feminist, namely the epistemic dilemma. Western feminists can speak for women of the global South and run the risk of distorting those women’s experience and further silencing their voices, or we can refuse to speak and abdicate our responsibilities to address injustice. I argue that we should address this dilemma not by trying to resolve it but by examining our role in the reproduction of epistemically unjust practices. To explain this response, I offer a preliminary account of epistemic injustice as epistemic oppression. I conclude by claiming that our own epistemic complicity in epistemically oppressive social practices is a weighty reason for us to work to transform those practices.